Joining the Leaf Village
by SRW2020
Summary: A story about a girl, Kodama, Akari, who helps the Leaf Village, gets asked to join, and falls in love. This story is based on Naruto (Which i do not own in any way). The story details vary from the anime/manga. I'll be uploading new chapters at least twice a week and would love feed back.
1. Chapter 1

_ 'My whole body feels sore...what the hell happened_.' Slowly I open my eyes and look around. '_A hospital room...but where.'_ I take a deep and push myself to sit up. My muscles feel strained and weak. I examine the machines around me, the heart monitor and pain medication seem to be the only ones actually hooked up to me. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, my organs feel okay, the pain feels manageable. I debate taking the sensors off of myself, but decide to ring for a nurse instead. '_Mind as well since if I take the sensors off a nurse will come anyways.'_ A few moments pass and then the door slides open. A nurse, doctor, and a blonde woman walk in.

"Well we're glad to see you awake finally." The nurse smiles kindly at me. I examine them closely, none of them have a symbol of what village I'm in. The blonde woman appears to see the question in my eyes.

"You are in Konohagakure. The Hidden Leaf Village. I am Tsunade, the Hokage." The nurse begins to examine me, assessing my injuries and how they've healed. She detaches the machines sensors from me. The Hokage watches closely. "Well, you seem to have healed. What is your name? How are you feeling?" I move around a bit, assessing myself. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up stretching.

"I am Kodama, Akari. I feel okay, sore from the injuries and from not moving much, but it's manageable. How long was I out? And... what exactly happened... I can't remember much..." I continue to stretch, trying to loosen my muscles up.

"Let's go to my office, we can go over everything there." The Hokage turns to the doctor, "she is cleared to leave, correct?"

"Yes ma'am, I just need to get her discharge papers. The nurse will bring in your belongings and your discharge papers. Do you have any questions for me before we let you go?" the doctor waits a moment, giving me time to think. I shake my head.

"No, I feel alright, I'm not concerned. Thank you very much for your care during my time here." The doctor nods to me and turns bowing to the Hokage before leaving. I turn my attention to the Hokage. "So I know you said we would talk when we got to your office, but can I just ask how I got here?" Tsunade looks me over and walks to the window staring off into the distance.

"We're really not sure. We didn't even know who you were. My shinobi were incredibly lucky that you were headed here, no matter the reason. You saved a few lives." I let what she says sink in for a moment, and slowly it all starts to come back to me.

"I came upon a team of your ninja that were in pursuit of enemies who had taken one of your own, i was on my way to you to deliver a message." The Hokage turns to me and nods. "Your shinobi were in rough shape...they were trying to get back a guy name...Uchiha?" The Hokage nods again. "It appears that I was in rough shape by the end of everything as well...I hope your people made it out okay."

"I'm glad that your memories have begun to come back. All of our ninja made it back. The Leaf Village owes you a great debt. Sand ninja showed up as well to help, between the four of you, our team was kept alive." I smile at the Hokage, at that moment the nurse comes in with my belongings.

"Here you are dear, and here are your discharge papers as well." She smiles and places everything on the bed. The Hokage and the nurse both turn to leave so I can get dressed. I open the bag and sift through my things. '_I guess a few of my things got lost and some torn apart.._.' I hold up my black tank top and examine the many holes. '_I can't even tell what kinds of tools made these holes_. _Guess I'll have to do some shopping_.' I let out a heavy sigh as I get ready to change when there is a knock on the door. I retie my hospital gown.

"Come in." The Hokage enters the room with two men about my age. One has black hair tied into spiked ponytail, his eyes are narrow and brown, his expression is one of pure boredom. The other man has messy brown hair and sharp black eyes, but a devilish smile. "Lady Hokage, I was just about to get ready…" The Hokage smiles kindly.

"I know, I'm sorry for interrupting, but these are two of the young men you helped save, and they brought you some things." I look at the two men curiously. "This is Nara, Shikamaru," she introduces the black haired man first who steps forward and bows, "And this is Inuzuka, Kiba." The brown haired man steps forward and bows.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." I look them both over carefully. "You both look to have recovered well from the battle, I'm glad." Kiba's smile falters.

"We both owe you our lives…I'm sorry that helping us took so much out of you and caused so much pain to you." He stares at the ground as he speaks. Shikamaru steps forward offering me a bag, I stare at it for a moment before taking it from him.

"When we heard you were awake we wanted to come and thank you, and offer you this…we know that your clothes were torn quite a bit during the battle, we thought that you might need something to wear." Shikamaru takes a step back. I take the clothes out of the bag.

"You…you really didn't have to…but thank you. That was very kind of you." Kiba smiles at me and puts his hands up as if to stop me.

"It's the least that we could do, honestly. We're also going to be escorting you and Lady Hokage to her office, and we'll be your guides while you're in Konohagakure, if you'd like." I smile softly at him and nod.

"Thank you, both of you." I shift my gaze to Shikamaru, but he won't make eye contact with me. '_Hmm…wonder what his problem is…'0_

"Alright, we'll be right outside Ms. Kodama, you get ready and then we'll go." The Hokage smiles and leads Shikamaru and Kiba out of the room. I look through the clothes that the two men brought me. '_Well...they either have good taste or they had help_.' I decide on a long sleeve black fishnet undershirt with a grey turtle neck sleeveless shirt over it, and calf length fishnet stockings with black shorts over them. I go through my belongings and find my ninja tools, I tuck them into the holsters and attach one to my right thigh, hooking the other onto my waistband. I glance in the mirror and release my waist length black hair from the braid that kept it tame. I smile at my appearance, finally starting to feel like myself again. I slip my black shoes on and pack everything into my backpack before heading for the door.

"I have to say…you guys did a great job picking out clothes, I would have picked the same things honestly." Kiba looks me up and down his jaw dropping slightly.

"Wow…you look…amazing. My sister helped to pick some stuff out. I'm glad you like it." He smiles that devilish smile again. Shikamaru looks at me, I notice his cheeks grow a faint pink color as he looks me over. Kiba turns to the Hokage, "Alright, Lady Hokage, if you're ready?" The Hoksge nods and begins walking down the hall. Kiba gestures for me to go before him and Shikamaru. I follow closely behind the Hokage as we head out of the hospital and towards the her office. I glance around the village as we walk.

"Wow, your village is beautiful." I smile softly as I observe all the shops and people. It's a short walk to the Hokages office. I glance up at the vast building, and then at the mountain with the Hokages faces carved into it. "It's quite remarkable. An honorable tribute." The others look at the mountain and I see nostalgia in all of their eyes for a moment.

"I suppose it is a nice tribute." The Hokage smiles up at the faces. I look back at the mountain. Her face hasn't been added yet. "My face will be up there by the end of next month, if that's what you were just wondering about." She smirks at me. I let out a soft laugh and nod.

"I was wondering about it, yes. You have quite a gift for knowing what questions are on my mind." She shrugs her shoulders a smile playing on her lips as she waves for me to follow her up the stairs. Kiba and Shikamaru continue behind me as the four of us head up towards the Hokages office. As we rise to the top I continue to take in the view of the Hidden Leaf Village. '_It really is beautiful here. What a lovely place to live.'_ My mind wanders to my home, my family. I wonder if they know where I am…if they checked on me at all… it's then that I realize I still don't know how long I was in the hospital. But that was part of the point of coming here, to discover what happened. We reach the top of the staircase and head into the Hokages office.

"Alright now, let's see…" The Hokage sits at her desk and sifts through some files. "Ah, here it is. Alright, so from the looks of it Ms. Kodama you were in the hospital for three weeks." I stare at her blankly.

"Well…I guess that explains why I was so sore. Three weeks is a long time to be bed ridden." I stare at my hands in my lap, afraid to ask if my family has inquired about me. It wouldn't be the first time that they just ignored someone disappearing.

"By the looks of it we never found the message that you were supposed to deliver. Do you remember what it was now that some of your memory has returned?" The Hokage watches me closely. I take a deep breath.

"It was about Orochimaru. The location of his hide out. But three weeks is a long time it may be out dated information now." The Hokage grabs a map and places it in front of me with a pen.

"Can you mark it down anyways? We'll take any lead we can get at this point." I see a faint sign of hope in her eyes. I mark the spot that I last knew as Orochimaru's hide out. The Hogake takes the map and looks it over. "I'll get a team together to check it out. Thank you Ms. Kodama."

"I would be glad to show them the way and help determine if your missing ninja is there." My voice is stronger than my body feels. '_I would definitely need to test my strength before going though_.' Tsunade looks at me and opens her mouth to respond when a voice behind me cuts her off.

"Absolutely not. I mean no disrespect Lady Hokage, but she isn't from our village and has already almost lost her life helping us. We can't intentionally put her in danger." Shikamaru is standing in front of me now while he addresses the Hokage. There is a seriousness on his face and in his voice.

"Shikamaru, I respect your opinion, and understand your concern. I will not make this decision lightly, I assure you of that. I'm also not going to make the decision now. It will take a little time to get the right team assembled anyways. You and Kiba may go wait downstairs, there are things that Ms. Kodama and I need to discuss privately." Shikamaru glances at me, his eyes soften for a moment before he heads for the door with Kiba. They shut the door behind them and I turn to the Hokage.

"Lady Hokage…" my voices falters, I stare at my hands again letting out a sigh. "I…I assume that my family has not inquired about me at all. If they had, you would have been able to receive the message from them and would not have had to wait for me to awaken…" I look up at her, gauging her reaction.

"Your assessment is correct Ms. Kodama." I raise my hand slightly.

"Lady Hokage, call me Akari please, Ms. Kodama is just…too formal, if you don't mind." The Hokage offers me a soft smile and nods.

"Very well, Akari. You are correct, we have not had any contact from your family. I'm sorry." I smile at the Hokage and shake my head slightly.

"It's not out of character for them. I didn't expect any different. They're not the most…bonded family." I stand and walk to the window looking out over the village. "You have a beautiful village. One of the things I remember most from that day is the comradery I saw. Every one of your shinobi were ready to lay their life on the line for the mission, for their comrade, for their village. That's not something I've seen before. Hell, even now, with Kiba and Shikamaru bringing me clothes because mine were torn…that was incredibly unexpected. I'm not even from here, and they went out of their way to help me. Its truly remarkable." The Hokage moves to stand beside me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"You know Akari…if you're looking for a place that offers comradery, you could make this your home as well." Her words take a moment to sink in. '_Is she really offering to take me into her village…'_

"Lady Hokage…that's…that's quite an offer." I look at her out of the corner of my eye. She turns me to face her.

"Akari, you've done a great deal for this village already, you didn't know any of those shinobi, but you still jumped in to help and protect them. That's incredibly selfless. And you're clearly a strong shinobi, I heard a little about how you were handle our enemies. You would be an asset to us. It's your choice. Take a few days. See the village. Get to know the people. Then come see me when you've made up your mind." She smiles kindly at me.

"Alright Lady Hokage, I will consider your offer. Thank you." I bow to the Hokage before heading for the door. I shut the door behind me and stop for a moment in the hallway._ 'I can't believe that they would be willing to let me be a part of the village…but can I really just leave my family like that.'_ I scoff to myself. '_My family that hasn't checked on me in almost a month…some family that is. But what if I don't fit in here.'_ I take a deep breath as doubt begins to creep into my mind. I head down the stairs slowly and start weighing my options. '_Joining the Leaf Village...hmm.'_


	2. Chapter 2

I see Shikamaru waiting at the bottom of the stairs with his back to me. I glance around for Kiba, but he's no where to be found. '_Wonder where he went.'_ As I get to the last couple steps Shikamaru turns to me, concern is etched on his face.

"Ready? We thought you'd be hungry, so Kiba went ahead to get us a table." I offer Shikamaru a smile and nod.

"Now that you mention it, I am hungry." I walk beside him as we head down the street. "Shikamaru…you look worried, is everything okay?" He glances at me and runs his hand through his hair sighing heavily.

"What a drag…Listen, I didn't mean to sound so harsh in the Hokages office…I'm sorry if it offended you. But you have to understand, I was in charge of the mission that you helped with…and I failed. I couldn't keep my people safe, then you showed up, you were incredible, but you got hurt too and I couldn't stop it. I don't want to be responsible for that again…" I can see the concern on his face and in his eyes. I grab his arm lightly to stop him from walking. He turns to face me and raises an eyebrow.

"Shikamaru…I wasn't your responsibility. I jumped into your fight because I wanted to help, and because I had faced them before. I knew what I was getting into. You also don't know me...You don't have to trouble yourself with being worried about me." I offer Shikamaru a gentle smile. We stand there for a moment holding each others gaze before he shakes his head.

"You're so troublesome. It was my mission, so as soon as you joined you were my responsibility. Whether I know you or not." He begins to walk away. '_What...is with this guy_.' I let out a heavy sigh and begin to follow after him. The rest of the walk is silent, when we get to the barbeque shop Kiba is sitting in a booth close to the entrance. I sit on the opposite side, expecting Shikamaru to join Kiba, but instead he slides in next to me.

"About time! You guys took long enough!" Kiba passes us both plates.

"Sorry Kiba, I was taking in all the views of the village." I smile and take the plate as the waitress brings over platters full of different foods. "Wow, this is a lot of food guys." Kiba smiles and nods.

"Well I figure you haven't eaten real food in 3 weeks, you'd probably be hungry. I also didn't know what you liked so figured if there's a little but of everything you would be able to find something." He shrugs and grabs some of the pork placing it on the grill. I take a bowl of rice and place some chicken on the grill. I glance at Shikamaru, he's just sitting next to me in the booth with his head resting back against the booth.

"So guys, what is there to do sound Konohagakure? I'm staying for a bit to just…check things out." I take a bite of my rice. '_Should I tell them that I may end up staying…eh…maybe I'll just keep that to myself for now…'_

"We have a lot to do here. Plenty of restaurants, karaoke, training grounds, hot springs." Kiba smiles as he lists off different activities. Shikamaru remains quiet.

"We can show you around, if you'd like." Shikamaru turns to look at me. I meet his gaze and raise an eyebrow.

"Well that's a very kind offer Shikamaru." I smile.

"Like I told you earlier, we'll be your guides while you're in our village. We owe you." I smile at Kiba.

"I would enjoy that. Thank you both." At that moment a small white dog comes bounding into the restaurant and jumps on to Kiba's lap. "Oh! Who's this?" Kiba sits petting the dog.

"This is Akamaru, my companion. All the members of the Inuzuka Clan are responsible for a dog, they fight beside us and grow with us." Kiba smiles down at Akamaru as he explains.

"Wow, that's pretty incredible." I watch the two interact, it's obvious that they have on unbreakable bond. Akamaru barks up at Kiba and jumps off his lap. Kiba's expression tums serious as he stands.

"I'm sorry Akari, Shika, but I have to go, I'll catch up with you later." Kiba runs out of the restaurant with Akamaru. I turn to Shikamaru and see the concern on his face mimicking my own.

"Should we follow him, by the way he looked...it seemed really serious." Shikamaru shakes his head and gives me a reassuring look.

"If it was serious enough that he needed help, he would have said so. Akamaru was home, so it's probably just a family thing. Honestly I wouldn't worry too much. Let's finish lunch, then I can show you around a little."

"Okay, I'll try not worry." We finish our lunch, which Shikamaru refuses to let me help pay for and then head off down one of the many streets. My shoulder starts to hurt after a little while. '_I hate to admit it but I still feel pretty weak and this bag is getting pretty heavy.'_ I glance at Shikamaru, he seems a bit lost in his own thoughts. "Hey Shikamaru, uhm…can we figure out where I'll be staying? I'd like to put my stuff down before we explore the village."

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry it didn't even cross my mind." He reaches over and takes my bag, "I'll carry it until we get there. I'm sure your muscles are still pretty sore." He continues walking down the street, "We have a couple options, there's a nice hotel, or there are apartments that you can rent that are pretty much day by day."

"Thank you. Uhm…feeling like I have an actual place may be more comfortable, so the apartments sound good." I smile and walk beside him rubbing my sore shoulder a bit. The apartments are a short walk away. We go into the managers office, only to find that the Hokage had already paid for one for me. The manager shows us to the top floor, to apartment 27 and gives me the keys before leaving. "It was very nice of Lady Hokage to set this up." I open the apartment and look around. '_Wow, this is beautiful_.' I walk around the apartment, familiarizing myself with it. I find the bedroom and make my way back towards Shikamaru who stayed in the doorway. "I can take my bag, thank you for carrying it."

"No problem, how do you like the place?" Shikamaru crosses the living room and hands my bag to me.

"It's beautiful. I have to admit, I haven't found anything in Konohagakure that I don't like." I bring my bag to the bedroom and place it on the bed. "Alright, so where to?" I lead Shikamaru out of the apartment and lock the door.

"Well…it's a beautiful day, do you feel up to taking a short hike?" he looks towards the mountain with the Hokages carved into it. I follow his gaze and smile.

"Absolutely, lead the way." We head towards the woods and begin up the mountain. "So…do you like living here?"

"Well…it's the only home I've ever known. I have great friends, and overall a great community. So yeah, I do like it." Shikamaru looks thoughtful as he answers. "Do you like where you live?" His question catches me off guard.

"Uhm…well…" I stare at the ground, "much like you, it's the only place I've ever known, but it isn't the most pleasant place…" I stop in my tracks as I think about my home the cluster of houses my Clan occupy in the middle of no where. I think about how dark it is, the sun barely making it through the thick trees. I think about how we get no visitors, isolated from the world most of the time. I think about the pain that follows all the training we are put through starting at the age of 4.

"Hey, Akari…you okay?" Shikamaru's voice pulls me out of my thoughts, I look up and he's standing just inches away from me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked…" I put my hand up to stop his apology.

"No, it's okay." I notice my voice sounds timid. I take a deep steadying breath. "You didn't do anything wrong, I just…got lost in thought." Shikamaru looks worried still. I study his face for a moment. "Hey, come on, at this rate it'll be dark before we reach the top." I smile and begin heading up the mountain again. Shikamaru catches up and walks besides me.

"We're almost there, another 20 minutes." Shikamaru looks up at the sky as he speaks. I follow his gaze to the clouds. I smile at the calmness.

"It's so peaceful. The sky is beautiful." Shikamaru nods in agreement.

"We're actually heading to my favorite place, I spend a lot of time here on nice days." A lazy smile plays on his lips. I examine him for a moment. He doesn't have the usual look of boredom, his eyes show a slight hint of excitement. "I've always enjoyed watching clouds. Sometimes I wish I was a cloud...just floating along, going wherever the breeze takes me..."

"That does sound...peaceful. The life of a shinobi isn't an easy one." We begin walking up the trail again our pace is slower. I glance at Shikamaru, he seems lost in thought. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry, just thinking about the last time I talked about the clouds like this. It was during the chunnin exams, and shortly after we were all fighting for our village and our lives." His brow furrows, worry etched into his features.

"I remembering hearing about that...that was what caused my Clan to track Orochimaru...they wanted to gauge the threat and make sure it didn't get too close to us...but beyond that they...we...did nothing about it." I feel guilt wash over me as I think about the peril that this lovely village was in. The damage that was done, and that they're still trying to recover from. '_A village that has now offered to take me in...I should have pushed harder to help them...'_ My mind wanders back to when the news of the attack first reached my Clan. My grandfather had gathered everyone together in the court yard to discuss the risk and our defense plan. He told us that the Village Hidden in the Leaf was in ruins, buildings destroyed, and a huge loss of shinobi. I felt heart broken for the village and spoke up. I suggested we send a small team to help rebuild, and to help defend the village until they were able to gain their strength one in the Clan disagreed with me and said that we had only survived as long as we had because we didn't get involved. I argued that helping would give us an ally in anything were ever to happen, that it would put us into a stronger position, however my Clan believed that we needed to just focus on taking care of ourselves. That was when my team was sent to try and track Orochimaru down. Discover his location so we could develop a defense plan. After we had tracked him down and discovered that he was still going after the Hidden Leaf Village I suggested passing his location on to the village so that they might wipe out the threat before we had to face it. My father agreed and sent me to pass the information.

"Hey, Akari, you alright?" Shikamaru's voice pulls me back. I blink a few times trying to regain my grounding.

"I'm sorry..." my voice trails off, I hesitate to tell him of my failure to help. He shakes his head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You couldn't have prevented it."

"No, but I could have helped...at least stepped in to help rebuild...just...something." Shikamaru lightly grabs my forearm, stopping me so that I'm facing him.

"Akari, you almost lost your life delivering a message, coming during that attack...you may not have made it out alive. I'm glad that you weren't there." I stare down at my feet, his words do little to ease my guilt.

"Shikamaru, you don't even know me, you have no reason to worry about me, or care if would have survived." Shikamaru shakes his head.

"Troublesome, troublesome woman. You saved my life, that tells me enough." He smiles at me and I can't help but return his smile.

"Well that's very nice of you...let's keep going. I'm excited to see what the village looks like from the top, we're almost there." We continue our trek, making light conversation as we go. When we reach the top there's a little bench, with a canopy over it. I make my way towards the bench and look out at the view. "Wow..." the village looks stunning. "You can see everything from here..." Shikamaru takes a seat on the bench, i sit next to him, my body feels heavy. '_I keep forgetting that I just got out of the hospital and haven't been mobile for almost a month.'_ "I can see why this is your favorite place. It really is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"Well I figured if you're considering moving here, I should you the best places that I can." Shikamaru lays back as he says this a knowing smile on his lips. I stare down at him surprise written on my face.

"How did you know...?" Shikamaru shrugs his shoulders.

"Just a lucky guess. You seem awfully curious about our village for someone that's just visiting and chose the more...permanent housing option."

"Lady Hokage did offer for me to become part of the Leaf village...she said that I had done so much for the village that I would be a good addition if I chose to stay...but I just don't know that I should." I sigh and stare off into the distance. Shikamaru sits up and looks at me.

"You did do a lot for the Village. You jumped in selflessly to help save 5 of their shinobi, and brought us information about our greatest threat even though you had no obligation to. That's pretty remarkable. Hell, you personally saved my life. And from what I remember you're a force to be reckoned with. I think we would be lucky to have you join us..."

"Your village is much different then my home...I don't know that I would fit in here. There isn't a sense of...community."

"Isn't it basically a plantation with your entire Clan living there? I mean...they're family...I would think it would just be one big community." Shikamaru raises an eyebrow at me. I look away and stare back out at the view. I don't want to tell him what it's really like there. I stand and walk towards the edge of the mountain trying to avoid the conversation, I stop just a couple feet from the edge. I hear Shikamaru approaching me. "I won't push it, I'm sorry." I smile sadly at him.

"No need to be sorry." I look up at the sky, "You showed me your favorite place, now I'll share that this is my favorite time of day. When the sky begins to change to purples, pinks, and oranges." Shikamaru follows my gaze.

"It is beautiful. We can stay an enjoy the sunset if you'd like." I nod and move to sit at the edge of the mountain. Shikamaru joins me. "How are you feeling? Physically, I mean" I let out a heavy sigh.

"Sore. It's hard for me to feel weak like this...it's not something I'm used to...I need to get back to training...build my strength and stamina back up." Shikamaru shakes his head.

"Maybe you should take it easy for a little while, give yourself a break." I roll my eyes and shake my head.

"That's certainly not my style...I feel like myself most when I'm training. Pushing to get better all the time. It's just...how I was raised..."

"Well then tomorrow we'll train." He smiles at me which I return. "Don't worry, I'll take it easy on you." I laugh and shake my head.

"I think I can handle it." we both grow quiet as we watch the rest of the sunset. Maybe I could make this my home.

"Alright, I should get you home. It's getting late." Shikamaru stands and offers me his hand, I take it and he helps me to my feet. We stand there for a moment as the sun disappears completely. The temperature drops rather drastically.

"Yeah..we can go...it's getting pretty cold." I begin to walk down the trail. I feel a jacket drape around my shoulders as Shikamaru approaches me.

"No point in you getting sick on top of trying to recover your strength. Besides, what kind of guy is going to let a woman freeze when he has a jacket to offer." He shrugs at me.

"Thank you." I pull the jacket on and we continue our journey in a comfortable silence. We get to the street where my apartment is. "You really don't have to walk me all the way, I'll be alright to make it down the street." Shikamaru stops me as I go to take his jacket off.

"What kind of guy doesn't walk a woman to her door?" He smiles his lazy smile and continues down the street. We make it to my door and I take his jacket off handing it to him.

"Thank you Shikamaru, for a lovely day." I unlock my door and step inside turning to watch him go.

"I'll see you tomorrow, I'll pick you up here, what time would you like to get started?"

"I'm pretty worn out..so can we start mid morning? 10am?" Shikamaru nods and turns to leave. I shut the door and flick on the lights. I look around the apartment, it's fully furnished, all the furniture is beautiful. I head to the kitchen and open the fridge, luckily the ice trays are already full, I grab a rag and put some ice in it and hold it to my shoulder. _'I need to speed up this recovery...but do I really want to reveal all my kekkei genkai abilities...I'm sure they would get curious if I miraculously heal...and I'm sure they already saw quite a bit during that battle...I need to make sure I can trust them first._' I sigh and head to the bathroom. '_A hot shower will have to do_'. After my shower I wrap myself in an over sized towel and head to my bedroom. I look through my bag and pull out a pair of calf length red leggings and a black t-shirt and change. I plop onto the bed and set an alarm for 9am before drifting off to sleep.1


	3. Chapter 3

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. I roll over and swing at the alarm hitting the off button. I sit up and stretch my arms over my head, I feel my shoulders and back crack. _'So stiff...'_ I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stand up to do my morning stretches. I feel all my muscles start to loosen up. I take a deep breath and walk over to the window. I can see most of the village from my apartment, it looks like a beautiful day out, the sun is shinning and the wind seems calm. I smile to myself enjoying the peacefulness. I glance at the clock_ '9:35...guess I should get ready.'_ I move to the dresser and grab my bag. I look through the clothes and grab calf length black leggings, a long sleeve black mesh undershirt, and a green tank top.I get dressed and pull on my black sneakers. I grab my ninja tool pouches and head to the living room to wait. Yesterdays events creep into my thoughts._ 'I enjoyed my time with Shikamaru...he seems like a good person...Kiba too. I hope he's okay...he never did catch up to us. Maybe we can check on him before we go to train.'_ My mind wanders to the Hokages offer and I realize that I've already made up my mind about whether I'm staying or not. Suddenly there's a knock on the door. I glance at the clock. _'9:47...Shikamaru doesn't seem like the type to be early.'_ There's another knock on the door. _'Or like the impatient type...'_ I hook my pouch to my waist and pull out a kunai as I walk to the door. I look through the peep hole and my blood runs cold as I recognize the man on the other side of the door. I take a step back from the door as he bangs loudly on it. "Akari! I know you're in there, open the damned door. Or I'll break it down." His tone is dark and menacing. I look around the room, my eyes land on the window. I move and open the window and look down at the street scanning for any other threats. _'Of course they sent him alone...they always do.'_ As I'm scanning the street my eyes land on Shikamaru. _'Well, here it goes.'_ I hear the cracking of wood and glance back to see the door begin to break. I leap out the window and land in a crouch a few feet from Shikamaru, I sprint towards him and grab his arm pulling him behind me.

"We need to get out of here, now." Shikamaru takes off with me without hesitation. "We need somewhere to lay low." I try to keep my voice calm. Shikamaru takes my hand in his and leads me down the street.

"Akari! Dammit get back here!" I glance back to see him hanging out the window._ 'Shit'_ Shikamaru's grip on my hand tightens as he picks up speed leading me through the streets. I glance back occasionally checking for him. Finally Shikamaru pulls me into a house. We both sink to the floor once the door is locked.

"Shikamaru… I'm sorry..." His hand covers my mouth and he motions for me to be quiet. I nod and he removes his hand. He motions for me to follow him as he crouches and makes his way to the stairs. We slowly make our way up the stairs to a bedroom. Shikamaru stands and walks to the window carefully. He watches out the window, I slowly move to join him. Once it seems we're safe Shikamaru turns to me.

"So...who was that and what's going on?" Concern is clearly etched into his features. I take a deep breath and sit on the floor.

"His name is Yuki...he's… he's from my clan..." Shikamaru looks confused. "He's the one my father sends when we need to eliminate one of our own. Shikamaru that is the only reason he is ever sent out." Shikamaru's eyes narrow.

"Your family didn't even check on you and now they decide to have you executed. That's bullshit." I can see his anger building.

"Shikamaru, I only ran because you were on your way. I couldn't let you get involved, he wouldn't let you get away alive especially if you tried to intervene. Now I need a favor, stay here. Please. I can handle this, but I need you to stay here." He shakes his head.

"Not a chance." There's a seriousness in his voice that tells me this isn't going to be easy. I take a deep breath.

"Shikamaru, of everyone in my clan, I'm probably the only one that can actually take him down. All I need from you is for you to tell the Hokage what's going on. Please, I need you to trust me." I plead with him. He shakes his head.

"I'm not just going to leave you when you have some psycho assassin chasing you down. Not a chance in hell. We can get the message to the Hokage without me leaving you to deal with this alone." It's clear that he isn't going to give in.

"Fine. Get the message to her and then I need you to follow my lead." He turns and heads into the hallway grabbing a scroll. He writes a brief message and grabs a message hawk sending it out the window. I join him in the hallway. "If you're set on doing this, I need you to trust me. I'm going to lead him to the clearing by the river. You can join us there, but I need you to stay hidden." Shikamaru nods.

"You go ahead first and I'll take a different route and meet you there. Akari...be careful." Shikamaru gives me a concerned look. "If it seems like you're in danger I will jump in. Got it?" I roll my eyes.

"Yeah Yeah, I got it. It shouldn't be necessary though. Be careful Shikamaru, this guy is a serious powerhouse and he doesn't take prisoners." Shikamaru nods. I head to the door and take off down the street towards the woods. I leap into the trees and travel deeper until I find the river. _'This will do..'_ I step into the river and submerge myself. I focus my chakra and draw the water to me, it begins to glow as my chakra charges it. I concentrate and heal my body, every bruise, muscle, bone, all of the pains and aches disappear. I pull myself out of the water and make my way to the large clearing near by. I stand in the middle of the clearing and wait. _'Come on Yuki, let's get this over with.'_ 20 minutes go by before I sense him coming. I take a deep breath and focus my chakra on my feet, I find Shikamaru._ 'He's a good distance away, Yuki shouldn't be able to sense him there.'_ I look up as Yuki approaches.

"Akari, so glad you stopped running. It's not like you to run from a fight." I smile and shrug.

"Wasn't the fight I was running from. Just didn't feel like seeing your ugly mug." Yuki rolls his eyes and takes a few steps forward, I hold my ground. "So, why'd my father send you after me? It's been almost a month and no one came looking. So why an assassination now?" Yuki raises an eyebrow at me.

"Why do you assume I'm here to kill you?" He feigns innocence. I roll my eyes and fix him with a stern look.

"That's the only time you leave the Clan. Why would there be any special exception for me?" I raise an eye brow as I watch him. He moves a little closer. I sense Shikamaru also getting closer.

"You're the Clan leaders daughter, does that not make room for exceptions to be made?" I can't help but laugh.

"It's never gotten me any special treatment before, I don't see why it would now." I watch him closely, a small smirk appears on his lips, I leap into the air landing on the other side of the clearing as a giant sinkhole appears where I was standing. "Remember who trained you, Yuki. I know all your tells." I smirk at him.

"I've gotten stronger since your training with me." I smile and move towards him as the sink hole disappears.

"I doubt it, but lets see." I stop a few feet in front of him and take on a fighting stance. His expression changes to one of anger as he lunges forward, kunai in hand. I deflect his attempt with ease and he lands on the ground crouching behind me _'His temper has always been his downfall...he can't calm himself during a fight...'_ I smile to myself. _'Alright, so lets piss him off.'_ I turn to face him. "Seems you may have actually gotten worse..what a pity." He stands and comes at me with a barrage of kicks and punches, i dodge them and land a kick directly on his chest sending him flying backwards. "Oh come on Yuki. I expected it to be a challenge to stay alive. I honestly expected that I would have to use my special abilities at least a little." I frown at him. He stands and looks at me.

"I have a question Akari, why would you opt to leave our Clan and join this Village? We weren't going to come after you until you made that decision." He stands with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I should have guessed he would be monitoring..." I think for a moment. "When I was on my way here, I came across Orichimaru's little henchmen fighting a few of the Leaf shinobi. The shinobi were ready and willing to give their lives for their comrade that had been taken and for their village. That's not something we've ever experienced in our Clan. They took care of me after I helped them. Welcomed me even though they knew nothing about me. All they needed to know was that I joined their team and risked my life to help. No one in our Clan would ever do that. You're here risking your life to take me down simply because that is the order you were given. But if we were attacked right now, you would do anything to save yourself and only yourself. I'm joining Konohagakure because I want to fight for something greater than my own life." Yuki stares at me, then a devious smile spread across his lips.

"Is that what the guy hiding in the woods is? Something greater than yourself to fight for?" I keep my composure calm and raise an eyebrow.

"What guy?" Yuki studies me for a moment.

"The one that is about…nine meters away. What is he waiting for? Too scared to come out and face me? Has to let the woman handle it all?" Yuki turns towards the direction of Shikamaru and yells "Come on coward! You gunna just let Akari face me all on her own?" I roll my eyes.

"It's pointless Yuki, he's not with me." I take my fighting stance again. "Let's finish this." Yuki smiles and faces me charging at me. We exchange blows, neither of us really landing a hit. I leap over him and try to land a kick which he blocks by grabbing my leg and throwing me across the clearing. I land hard on my side. _'Dammit'._ I stand and turn to face him. Suddenly Shikamaru is at my side. "Shikamaru, dammit, I told you to stay back and trust me." Shikamaru shrugs and points at Yuki, who points right back at him. I notice the shadow connecting them.

"What the hell is this! I can't move!" Yuki sounds panicked.

"It's called the shadow possession jutsu. A specialty of my Clan. Now you're under my control." Shikamaru turns his attention to me. "I'm sorry, but he was getting on my nerves. And then when he threw you…well I couldn't help myself. I Figured we could just end it now." I shake my head.

"I can end it without you being involved. It's not your fight." Shikamaru shrugs.

"Being part of Konohagakure means not having to face things alone. So what do you want to do with him? Imprisonment or just end him?" I stare at Yuki, I see him trying to figure out how to get away. I take a deep breath. The Hokage comes into the clearing with a team of Anbu.

"Akari, Shikamaru." She nods to us, and examines the situation. "So…what are we going to do with you?" She raises an eyebrow at Yuki. "Akari…what are you thinking?" I look at the Hokage.

"He's very dangerous Lady Hokage…a trained assassin of my Clan. I know how dangerous he is because…I'm the one that trained him. I'm not sure that you would be able to contain him." I look at Yuki. "Honestly Lady Hokage, the only way to end this is for him and I to finish it here and now, with no interference."

"If he's that dangerous how can we be sure that you'll beat him? I'm not sure we can take that risk Akari..." The Hokage hesitates.

"Lady Hokage, I know his moves. I'm more powerful. I guarantee that I can handle this." I surprise myself with how confident I sound.

"Alright Akari. Shikamaru, you need to release him." I hold up my hand.

"Hold on, not yet." I walk over to Yuki. "Listen, this is between you and me. Leave them out of it. Or I'll take you down now before you even have a chance to think about moving." Yuki glares at the group around us.

"Fine." I take a few steps back and look at Shikamaru.

"Okay Shikamaru." Everyone moves to the edge of the clearing. Shikamaru releases the jutsu.

"So this is what you're betraying your clan for…pathetic. You should have taken me out when you had the chance. After I'm done with you, I'll wipe them out too." The ground begins to shake. I smile at Yuki.

"Oh come on Yuki. Don't be like that. We had a deal." I lunge at him, kunai in hand, he leaps back blocking me. I drop and kick his feet out from under him and dig the kunai into his left thigh. I step back. "You can't even take me down. I'm not worried about them." Yuki glares at me and glances at the Hokage. "Yuki, don't even. Not even my father would condone that." I watch him closely. The corner of his lip twitches. I move quickly and dig another kunai into his thigh. He swings at me, but I dodge it easily. "Think this through, fight me one on one, or I'll end this now." Yuki smirks and disappears before my eyes. I turn towards the Hokage, take a deep breath, and put my hands out focusing on Yuki who is now just a few steps in front of the Hokage. "I warned you about leaving them out of it."

"No…Akari…not this. Please." Yuki stops moving and his body goes stiff, a blood curdling scream escapes him. The Anbu that had surrounded him take a step back and look at me. I adjust my hands and make Yuki face me.

"The minute that you threatened my village, my Hokage, you sealed your fate." I lower my hands in a swift flat motion and Yuki crumbles to the ground motionless. I take a step back, trembling slightly. Shikamaru comes to my side.

"Akari…are you okay? You're trembling…" he takes his coat off and wraps it around me. I can't bring myself to look at him.

"I'm alright, that just…takes a lot…" the Hokage walks over to us, I can't bring myself to look at her either. "Lady Hokage."

"So, you've made up your mind?" I nod. She smiles. "Welcome to the village. I'll need to see you later to make it official and to assess you so we know what rank you are. But for now take some time to rest." The hokage turns and walks away. I walk over to Yuki's body, the Anbu are there already. They turn to me. One stands and faces me.

"We assume you want to dispose of the body?" I stare down at Yuki's crumbled body. I know the secrets that lay within him. _'But now that I have taken him out...they'll probably come after me.'_ I shift my gaze to the Anbu team.

"I should, however, there's no telling if they will continue to come to the village to take me down...so take him. Study him, learn what you can. My Clan has many...abilities...what you learn from him will barely scrape the surface but it will help if you do face any of them." The Anbu nod and turn back to Yuki's body. I give him one last look. Flashes of our time training fill my thoughts. _'You were a good warrior Yuki...you were just on the wrong side, like I was not too long ago. Rest easy.'_ I take a deep breath and turn to head back to the village. I take Shikamaru's jacket off and hand it to him as I pass him.

"Akari, where are you going?" Shikamaru follows me.

"I'm just going to go home and shower...rest...take some time." He moves to walk beside me.

"I'm going with you, you shouldn't be alone right now. You seem pretty shaken up." I shake my head.

"I'm fine." Shikamaru gently grabs my arm and turns me to face him.

"You're not fine, and you don't have to lie to me." I roll my eyes and pull my arm away.

"Shikamaru, even if I wanted to talk to about it, you wouldn't understand. So as far as you're concerned, I am fine." Shikamaru shakes his head.

"Stop being so troublesome. Listen, you're part of this village now. That means having friends that don't give up on you. You're going to have to come to terms with that. It's not an option to just isolate yourself." I stare at him, he has that same serious look that I've become so familiar with. I take a deep breath.

"Fine, you can come...but only if we check on Kiba first...I haven't seen him since he left the restaurant." Shikamaru nods and leads the way to the Inuzuka Clan estate. I'm thankful for the silence as we walk. We get to Kiba's house and he greets us at the gate.

"Hey guys, what's up?" I examine him closely. _'He looks fine.'_ I offer Kiba a smile.

"I was worried about you since you took off last night. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." Kiba grins.

"Awww, you were worried? How sweet." Akamaru comes running up to us. "There was just an issue with one of the dogs, we do all the veterinary care for them and my family just needed help. Nothing major, I didn't mean to worry you guys." He crouches down and pets Akamaru.

"Oh good, I'm glad it wasn't anything more serious." I smile as I watch the two interact.

"So, what have you two been up to since I left you?" Shikamaru gives me an uncertain look. I sigh.

"Well yesterday we got me set up in an apartment, went for a hike, and then this morning we were supposed to just get some training in..." my voice trails off a little. Kiba looks at me.

"Were supposed to...?" Kiba raises an eyebrow at Shikamaru

"Well...there was a bit of an issue. But Akari uh..took care of it." Kiba looks me over.

"What kind of issue?" His tone got more serious.

"It's not a big deal Kiba. Just someone from my Clan showed up.

"Someone came after you?" I shrug my shoulders.

"Her Clan was pissed that she decided to stay and become part of our Village so they sent an assassin after her." I glare at Shkiamaru.

"They did what." Kiba's tone is menancing. I put my hands up and shake my head.

"It's fine, it's fine. He's dead now. It's normal for my Clan, they have an issue with people leaving. Especially when it's some of their most powerful people." I smile softly.

"Akari has some…serious power." Shikamaru shrugs. I roll my eyes.

"Alright, well I'm glad that you're okay, and I'm okay, and Shikamaru is okay. So now I'm going home." I turn to Shikamaru. "I'm assuming you still insist on coming with me?" Shikamaru nods. Kiba stands with Akamaru in his arms.

"We're going too. No way are you leaving you guys alone with your Clan after you." I sigh.

"Guys it's really not necessary. Honestly." Both men begin to walk away from the Inuzuka estate.

"Come on, let's get you home so you can rest." Kiba waves for me to follow them. _'This is ridiculous.'_ I catch up with the guys as we head toward my apartment.

"Shit. My door is broken in, but my apartment should be fine. Where can we get a door to replace mine?" I stare up at the sky as we walk.

"There's actually a shop on the way. We'll stop and get one." Shikamaru follows my gaze to the sky. A messenger hawk flies over us. _'I know that hawk…shit.'_

"Uhm…we have an issue." I watch the hawk closely. Shikamaru follows my gaze.

"That hawk belongs to your Clan doesn't it?" I nod. "Well, let's go see what the hell they want." We continue our journey to my apartment. When we make it to my apartment the door is broken open, but the apartment is in one piece. "Well looks like you were right. But where did the hawk go?" I shrug and look through my apartment.

"Not here I guess. Maybe I was wrong. I don't know. I'm going to shower, then we'll figure it out." Shikamaru nods.

"I'm going to go get you another door." Kiba heads out the door.

"Thank you Kiba." I turn to Shikamaru. "Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I'll be quick."

"Akari hold on…about before, with Yuki. That jutsu you used to take him down." I stare at the ground.

"Part of my Clans keikke genkai is the ability to manipulate water. For a few of us that includes the water that is retained in a person. Basically I took control of his body and crushed him with the water that existed inside of his own body. It isn't a technique that I like using, and I've only used it a handful of times in dire situations." I can feel Shikamaru watching me but can't bring myself to look at him.

"Akari, I know how draining that can be. It's intimidating to have that kind of power over someone. It's the same with my shadow possession jutsu. I'm just saying if you need to talk about it, or just want someone that gets it, I'm here. My dad too if you want someone more experienced." I look at Shikamaru and study his face, he looks worried, his eyes are sincere.

"I appreciate that, thank you. But I'm afraid that it isn't the same." I offer a small smile and turn to go to the bathroom. I take a deep breath once I'm in the bathroom and turn on the hot water. After my shower I wrap myself in a towel and go to my room. I look through my Clothes and decide on just being comfortable, I grab black leggings and a grey tank top. I head to the living room after getting dressed, as I walk in Kiba and Shikamaru are putting up my new front door. I lean against the door way and watch them. "Thank you guys."

"I got the sturdiest one that I could find, should be harder to break through." Kiba knocks on the door in an attempt to show it's strength. "Alright, that'll do it." He turns as Shikamaru shuts the door. Kinda looks around the apartment. "Wow, nice place, although I think you need to personalize it a bit more." I look around and shrug.

"I've never really been one to decorate." Kiba rolls his eyes. Shikamaru moves to the couch and plops down. "Are you guys hungry?" They both nod. "I'll put something together. Why don't you guys find a movie or something?"

"Sure thing!" Kiba grabs the remote and starts flipping through the channels. I look through everything in the kitchen.

"Do you guys like dumplings?" I pull out flour, sesame oil, salt, and a couple mixing bowls as the guys yell yes from the living room. I make the dumpling dough and set it to rest. I start working on the filling and hear the front door open and close. I turn towards the door as I hear footsteps.

"How's it going?" Shikamaru stands in the doorway. I smile and gesture towards the cutting board and all the ingredients. "Want some help?" I raise and eyebrow at Shkimaru.

"You cook?" Shikamaru nods and goes to the sink washing his hands before grabbing a knife. "Where's Kiba?"

"He took Akamaru for a walk, he figured this would take some time." Shikamaru begins to dice the green onions as I combine the ground pork, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Shikamaru adds the diced green onions and starts grating the ginger over the mixture and adds the chicken broth. I grab an egg and crack it into the mixture as Shikamaru mixes it together.

"So where did you learn to cook?" I wash my hands and grab a pot to boil water.

"My mom spent some time teaching me." Shikamaru sets the bowl aside and grabs the dumpling dough. He starts setting the dumplings up to be filled. "She figures a man should be able to take care of himself." I smile.

"Well that makes sense. Not many of the men in my Clan wanted to learn to cook. It's refreshing." I start filling the dumplings and sealing them before dropping them in the boiling water. We hear the front door, Kiba comes into the kitchen.

"How's it going?" He takes in the view. "Wow Shikamaru, you never cook." He smirks. Shikamaru rolls his eyes and grabs a plate and napkin to rest the done dumplings on.

"It's going fine, and I cook occasionally. It's not my fault we usually go out." Shikamaru starts to take out the dumplings as they finish cooking.

"Kiba, can you grab some plates? We can eat at the coffee table so we can watch the movie." Kiba nods and grabs everything to set the table. I glance at Shikamaru. _'He's been so great. I should find a way to thank him.'_

"There. I think they're all done." Shikamaru hands me the plate of dumplings and offers a smile.

"Thank you for helping." I smile and bring the plate into the living room with Shikamaru behind me. "Alright, let's eat." I place the dumplings on the table and take a seat on the floor. Shikamaru and Kiba join me. Kiba hits play and we all begin to eat.


End file.
